Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) EVP Richard Byrd Sells 459 Shares

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) EVP Richard Byrd sold 459 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total transaction of $105,570.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,952 shares in the company, valued at $1,598,960. This trade represents a 6.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Richard Byrd also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, March 12th, Richard Byrd sold 1,940 shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.91, for a total transaction of $436,325.40.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Price Performance

Shares of BDX stock opened at $231.83 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $232.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $232.12. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $218.75 and a one year high of $251.99. The firm has a market cap of $66.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.00 by $0.43. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 15.74%. On average, analysts expect that Becton, Dickinson and Company will post 14.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.04 per share. This represents a $4.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Becton, Dickinson and Company’s payout ratio is 69.10%.

Becton, Dickinson and Company declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase 10,000,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the fourth quarter worth $735,523,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,126,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,751,187,000 after buying an additional 3,219,317 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its holdings in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 392.4% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 3,416,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $775,139,000 after acquiring an additional 2,722,829 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Becton, Dickinson and Company by 79.0% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,986,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $720,089,000 after acquiring an additional 1,317,723 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company by 31.4% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 4,426,022 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,004,132,000 after acquiring an additional 1,057,879 shares during the last quarter. 86.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on BDX. Barclays lifted their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $278.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised Becton, Dickinson and Company from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Becton, Dickinson and Company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $278.29.

Becton, Dickinson and Company Company Profile

Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional.